Facebook has problems. Fake news, opaque data-collection policies, and the kids just aren't that into it anymore. And yet, the truth is much worse than that, according to Techonomy founder David Kirkpatrick, who I spoke with recently for an episode of my Fast Forward podcast.

Facebook's founders built a service they didn't understand and could not control. "They focused on growth not governance," Kirkpatrick says. "The consequences of that are deeply pernicious."

Although Facebook's challenges in the US are well-known, the problem is much worse overseas, Kirkpatrick says. There are many countries where Facebook is the No. 1 media outlet, but Facebook has no local language speaker on staff, no community experts, or properly translated set of community standards.

"The millions of people using these services didn't have to follow any rules because there were no rules in that language," Kirkpatrick says.

This has led to violence and death in places like Myanmar and Sri Lanka. "The government in Myanmar has been proven to be using Facebook to encourage genocide and violence against Muslims," according to Kirkpatrick, who points out that bad actors are now moving to Facebook-owned WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.

This problem will not go away, in part because every politician who has won an election in the last five years used Facebook to do it. "Politicians in every democratic country have no incentive to see Facebook change; it worked for them," Kirkpatrick says.

Our conversation also covered Google's return to China, the possibility of passing GDPR-like regulation in the US, and why Kirkpatrick is not ready to quit printing Techonomy Magazine.

Check out my full interview with Kirkpatrick in the video above. For more Fast Forward with Dan Costa, subscribe to the podcast. On iOS, download Apple's Podcasts app, search for "Fast Forward" and subscribe. On Android, download the Stitcher Radio for Podcasts app via Google Play.

About the Author

Dan Costa is the Editor-in-Chief of PCMag.com and the Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff-Davis. He oversees the editorial operations for PCMag.com, Geek.com, ExtremeTech.com as well as PCMag's network of blogs, including AppScout and SecurityWatch. Dan makes frequent appearances on local, national, and international news programs, including ... See Full Bio

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